Remembering your medications is paramount in your success as a transplant recipient. Below are 10 tips to help you do just that.
Why Remembering Your Medications Is So Important
After transplant, some of my transplant team visited to run down the things I needed to know before going home. We went over all of my medications and talked about the importance of remembering to take them. Not remembering to take your medications could damage your transplanted organ. This could lead to irreversible damage and organ rejection.
We are all going to be on our immunosuppressants for the rest of our lives. Studies to eliminate them are happening as we speak. But for now, we continue on the current path. “Point your nose and keep moving,” remember?
You will receive regular blood draws after transplant to check important levels in your system. Some relate to your body’s overall function, some to the organ you had transplanted, and also therapeutic drug monitoring. This is a test to ensure you have the correct amount of immunosuppressants in your blood. In my case, it is my tacrolimus level.
Taking Them on Time Counts Too
The best time to check the amount of immunosuppressants in your blood is during your trough. A trough is the level of a drug in your blood at its lowest concentration (just before your next dose). The dose frequency for most immunosuppressants is every 12 hours. So, to ensure my blood reflects an accurate trough, I schedule blood draws within 30 minutes of this time.
If you take your medication sporadically, it will be difficult for your body to have a consistent concentration. This makes an accurate trough level challenging, and could lead to organ damage, rejection, or non-compliance.
10 Tips for Remembering to Take Your Medications
- Make taking your medication part of your routine. Take them when you are brushing your teeth or washing your face. Don’t keep your meds in the bathroom though. The temperature and humidity changes can make your meds unstable.
- Keep a calendar of your medications (or use an app) so you can mark when you take a dose.
- Use a pill container (like this one or this monthly one) and refill it regularly. Then you’ll know you’re low with plenty of notice to submit a refill.
- Set alarms (on your phone or with timer caps or timed pillboxes like this one or this one).
- Pack enough for the time you are gone when you travel plus a few extra days in case of delays.
- Keep your medications in carryon luggage when you fly (here’s one for your pill bottles and one in a case). Then you have them with you and they won’t be affected by the temperature changes in the cargo area.
- Keep some medications in a few spots for when you are out unexpectedly. I have several ways to do this. A travel box in my purse, a locket-type necklace (or a more unisex version), a keychain container, and a pocket-sized box. Just remember to use and replace them frequently so they don’t expire.
- Ask someone you live with to set a reminder for you a few minutes after yours. Sometimes distractions happen and a little back up never hurt anyone.
- Plan ahead! Refill your meds at least a week in advance so your pharmacy has plenty of time to fill them.
- Set up auto-refill with your pharmacy so your refills are complete before you run out.
Oh No! I Forgot!
So, your alarm goes off one night and you open up your trusty medication box. You see your morning meds still sitting in there. GASP! “Oh no! I didn’t take my morning meds!” Don’t panic. Life and distractions happen. Give your team a heads-up so they know. Then, take your evening dose and proceed as usual. After a scare like that, you’ll remember to take them next time.
Having to adjust our routine to take immunosuppressants can be a **cough** tough pill to swallow. However, we do adjust and before you know it, you will hardly be phased.
